StorminMormon86 wrote:Apparently no one ever taught Williams the "sticks and stones" story when he was a kid.

The refs are the judges and juries on the field. They must be impartial. They need to protect that impartiality with everything they've got. Integrity isn't something you flip on and off like a switch. So, no, it is more than sticks and stones.

StorminMormon86 wrote:I still don't see how a ref calling you a name makes your blocking ability inferior. It wasn't like we were getting screwed with the calls like it seemed against the Vikings.

Did his blocking decline? There were plenty of bad/non calls in that game, but for the most part it went both ways. Certainly nothing like the Vikings game.

My point was the ref calling him a name didn't affect his playing, so it should be a non-issue, IMO.

Point taken Stormin but, when you are at work, if someone was to start talking smack on your children, would you take issue with it? So, what I am getting at is the ref was trying to get in his head and throw his thinking off. The ref is supposed to be impartial right? Maybe the refs should spit in Morris's eye before he takes a hand off? The ole sticks and stones thing works for me if we are talking school children playing at recess but these are supposed to be professionals. If the players do that to each other I can laugh about it.

chiefhog44 wrote:Former NFL official Mike Pereira said that official has been accused of cursing out players in the past for what it's worth

Fellow Redskins heard it and apparently Trent was mic'ed up, so I hope this guy gets disciplined if that's true. No place for this in the game.

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

StorminMormon86 wrote:I still don't see how a ref calling you a name makes your blocking ability inferior. It wasn't like we were getting screwed with the calls like it seemed against the Vikings.

I must have missed the part where Williams said his blocking ability changed because of this incident. Can you give me the quotes you were seeing that obviously inspired you to write this?

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan

StorminMormon86 wrote:I still don't see how a ref calling you a name makes your blocking ability inferior. It wasn't like we were getting screwed with the calls like it seemed against the Vikings.

I must have missed the part where Williams said his blocking ability changed because of this incident. Can you give me the quotes you were seeing that obviously inspired you to write this?

That's the point. Did his play change? No. Harsh language doesn't make you play any better or worse. So what's the issue here? Had the calls seemed to have been called in the Eagles favor for the majority of the game, then you could definitely make the case of a ref who has an agenda. But in one of the most violent sports out there, people are actually wanting to make an issue out of a ref allegedly using curse words?

StorminMormon86 wrote:I still don't see how a ref calling you a name makes your blocking ability inferior. It wasn't like we were getting screwed with the calls like it seemed against the Vikings.

I must have missed the part where Williams said his blocking ability changed because of this incident. Can you give me the quotes you were seeing that obviously inspired you to write this?

That's the point. Did his play change? No. Harsh language doesn't make you play any better or worse. So what's the issue here?

The issue is that it's unprofessional and doesn't have a place in the game. Especially when it's coming from a ref, who is supposed to be the impartial judge looking on the game. As Williams pointed out, there's a real psychological aspect to this as a player that you have to deal with.

Look at it this way: did Sean Taylor spitting on a running back make him play any better or worse? If not, then why would anyone care?

Had the calls seemed to have been called in the Eagles favor for the majority of the game, then you could definitely make the case of a ref who has an agenda. But in one of the most violent sports out there, people are actually wanting to make an issue out of a ref allegedly using curse words?

(1) What does the violence of the game have to do with a ref cursing out a player? Nothing.(2) The unprofessionalism of this incident is independent of whether calls happened to slant toward the Eagles. Even one extra flag thrown (or flag not thrown when it should have been) is a problem.(3) The response to this incident has been pretty proportional to its seriousness. It's not on the front page of NFL.com. Peter King didn't spend his whole MMQB column talking about it. It's only in one less-well-read thread on a Redskins fan board. Just because it isn't the worst thing ever doesn't mean that it's unworthy of criticism.

"I’m never under the assumption that you draft for need. You draft the best available football player on the board. ... Because, in the long run, they are the ones who will help you win the most games." - Scot McCloughan